378 Part V: Southeast Asia
sequence connecting prehistory and historical periods (Hutterer 1982). This is
a critical gap, because just how the early civilizations of Southeast Asia
emerged, and what kinds of societies provided their platform, is of enormous
interest, yet little can yet be said with certainty about this transition.
Early scholars assumed that prehistoric Southeast Asia was a syncretic
place, fashioned out of influences borrowed from or imposed by China and
India, thus accounting for names like “Indochina,” “East Indies,” and “Fur-
ther India.” However, there is growing evidence that in prehistoric times South-
east Asia was far from a recipient of higher cultures to west and north but wasMap 10.1 Mainland and insular Southeast Asia.JAVAJJAVAAVALLUZONUZONIND
ONESIAManila
HueHanoiHo Chi Minh
(Saigon)Phnom
PenhAyutthayaPagan VientianeBangkokSukhothaiBorodudurSouth
China
SeaLEGENDSunda ShelfSunda ShelfCityMMINDANAOINDANAOWAL
LAC
E’S
LINE
BRUNEICHINATHAILAND(BURMA)CAMBODIALAOSBORNEOMALAYSIABALISUMATRAPHILIPPINESMYANMARSULAWESINATION
ISLANDSINGAPOREVIETNAMRangoon